


The Scalpel and the Ghost

by kenwayallgetalong



Category: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (Video Games)
Genre: Hacking, Pre-The Hammer and the Scalpel, Tactical Realism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-02-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:42:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22929655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kenwayallgetalong/pseuds/kenwayallgetalong
Summary: Truth is a matter of perspective. Vigil learns this for himself firsthand.
Comments: 9
Kudos: 14





	The Scalpel and the Ghost

Grace Nam was smart. Adaptive. Motivated. She knew this. She’d known it for years. And soon enough, the rest of Rainbow did. 

Echo was easy to get along with, their previous collaborations wiping away any early awkwardness, and within a week of joining, the workshop was her second home, still competing with one another like old times. Valkyrie got to know her fairly quickly, her hacking skills making quick work of her carefully placed cameras in their first training session, and their shared curiosity for the other’s abilities quickly won over any jealousy. Even Mute, despite his lack of conversational abilities, was a welcome partner in the workshop, maybe just to help tune out Jäger most of the time.

But Vigil was a problem.

She knew she couldn’t be the only member of the 707th to be selected for Rainbow, even with her skills. She’d made a fair list of enemies, and Kuh was going to keep an eye on her no matter what, still furious over the stunt she’d pulled. 

But she couldn’t stand Vigil. Constantly silent, constantly watching. She knew her every action was being reported back to her superiors, and any slip up would cost her dearly. 

Lucky for her, she’d always loved a challenge.

And then one presented itself.

“Hostage situation.” Ash said, her quick, clipped tones brokering no disagreement. “Professor Ramirez is an expert in the field of pathological diseases.” Grace glanced across the table, watching Lion and Finka exchange a few brief words. “If the White Masks need her, it can’t be for anything good. Local police are holding down the perimeter, but we don’t have much time. They’ve given them six hours to get them transport and unhindered movement, or they kill Ramirez on her front porch.”

“Who’s going?” Kaid spoke up from the rear of the room, stroking his beard. Nomad stood beside him, flipping through her notebook. As Rainbow’s newest recruits, both Moroccan operators were keen to show their mettle, the legendary _kaid_ perhaps more so. Ash looked around the room, scanning the waiting faces. The SAS had been called away for a joint exercise with the SEALs, trying to court some new talent Six had their eye on in Australia, so they were unavailable, as well as the others who’d been rotated to cycled to off-duty rotation. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she decided.

“Speed’s our main priority. Blitz, Ying, you’re the main assault team.”

“They’ll never see us coming.” Elias grinned, reaching across the table to bump fists with Mei Ling, who rolled her eyes but bumped it back anyway. Grace smiled slightly. She liked Elias, despite his constant jokes, and Siu was deadly in the field (and despite her and Echo’s nasty breakup, she was as sharp and polite as anything).

“Glaz, hold perimeter and report any movements. We’ve got minimal eyes in the house so we need any intel we can get.” Ash continued.

“Copy.” Timur grunted from behind Grace.

“Ramirez has a hell of a security system, and the White Masks are definitely plugged into it, so we’ll need access to that for eyes in the house. And an undetected approach until we know where she is.” 

Grace inwardly groaned, but betrayed nothing outward (no weaknesses, she couldn’t afford to lose face with these people). She could tell where this was going. “Dokkaebi, Vigil, there’s a sewer system that runs underneath the house. Get in, get access, and tell us where they’re holding Ramirez. As far as we can tell, they’re not moving around the house much, so you’ll have some room to work.” She nodded to Vigil. “If you can get in there undetected, do it.” 

Vigil nodded sharply from the back of the room, where he was sat with Maestro. Blackbeard was Vigil’s closest friend in Rainbow, thanks to their previous training, but since he was off base, Vigil had become oddly close with the boisterous Italian (as close as Vigil’s boundaries allowed). An odd pairing, but Maestro seemed to enjoy regaling Vigil with stories, and Vigil, in a rare show of friendliness, seemed to enjoy them. Ash’s eyes flicked over to Dokkaebi. She flicked out a quick, casual salute and grinned at her. Time to show why she’d earned her place in Rainbow. Ash nodded back at her. “Wheels up in five, get what you need.”

-

Chul Kyung Hwa, contrary to popular belief, and Mute's jokes, wasn’t unable to speak. He was just quiet. Words were currency. Weapons. Another way for someone to get to you. He observed, he listened, he kept his vigil. 

The nickname wasn’t a surprise when it stuck. 

He was a good soldier, he served his country well. And when the opportunity to prove himself as part of Rainbow was offered, he saw it as another way to give back to the country which had raised him, provided for him, given him a home and a family. 

He didn’t consider himself a petty person, not by any meaning of the word. But he found himself oddly jealous of Grace. Her easy charm, her sharp wit, her lack of care what anyone thought of her. She strolled straight into Rainbow and made friends as easy as breathing. The tech-savvy ones had taken an instant liking to her, there was no surprise, but even more blunt, old school operators like Sledge expressed admiration for her skills, punching her on the shoulder and inviting her out for a pint after their first training session. Meanwhile, the one man he was able to confide in, Blackbeard, was off in Australia, hours away. He itched for an easy conversation with Craig, to be able to listen to his words and let them wash over him, like water over a stone.

_Enough_ , he mentally chided himself, turning his ballistic mask over in his hands. He was a soldier through and through, and he would do his duty without complaint. To serve loyally. He tugged the ballistic mask on sharply and breathed slightly easier as the familiar weight settled on his face. The chopper banked sharply to the left, pressing him back in his seat, as they made their way to their insertion point. “Stay in radio contact, let us know when you’re in position.” Elias called from his seat, as he stood up alongside Dokkaebi. He nodded sharply, then lifted his rifle and started moving, Dokkaebi following. They made their way quickly through the sewer system, following the directions on her tablet, pausing every so often to confirm their direction. As it turned out, Ramirez had a large cellar, and the White Masks hadn’t taken the care to booby trap it. Vigil went ahead, rifle up, sweeping the dark room. Dokkaebi followed, and once it was clear, flicked her tablet into her hands. Tapping at the screen quickly, she frowned, then a grin split her face. “Got them.” She whispered. “They’re in the master bedroom, third floor.” 

“This house is huge.” Blitz added over the comms, in position with Ying by the police barricade out front, ready to move on their go. Dokkaebi tapped out a quick command, granting the rest of the team access to Ramirez’s camera system, then flipped through the rest of the feeds rapidly.

“Didn’t know studying diseases paid so well.” Ying muttered, before adding “Glaz, focus on the third floor balcony window. Best angle on the room.”

_“признал.”_

“Vigil, cloak, get to a position on the third floor and wait for our go.”

“Copy.” He whispered, ready to activate the ERC-7.

“Dokkaebi, remain by the basement, we may need a second exfil point.”

“Understood.” Her eyes flicked up to Vigil behind her glasses. “I’ve got this, go.” She added to him, tapping away on the tablet. He activated his cloak and peered over at her tablet, focused on the camera just above them. Sure enough, he disappeared from the screen, the merest flicker on the screen betraying his presence. He allowed himself a rare smile behind the mask, just a brief twist of his lips, before hefting his rifle and moving into the house, his steps silent.

-

Dokkaebi flicked through the camera feeds on her tablet, checking each angle, before flipping to the external one and deactivating it. “Blitz, Ying, clear to move on the front door.”

“Copy.” 

She pursed her lips and flipped back to the hostage room. Ramirez was on the floor by the bed, hands bound in front of her, but otherwise unhurt. She fixed her captors with a steely glare as they prowled the room around her, adding reinforcements and barricades everywhere. Seven hostiles, all masked, aiming their weapons at the door. _Ignoring the window_ , she noticed. “Ying, get to the third floor balcony. Good breach point.” As Ying rattled out an affirmative, she grinned to herself. This was what she loved about Rainbow, she was allowed to make calls in the heat of the moment, rank be damned, and they’d listen to her. 

_Unlike Vigil_ , she grimaced. Ever the good soldier, never complaining or questioning orders. _Idiot._ She shook her head and refocused, scanning the feeds for any change. Vigil’s cloak caused a brief flicker on the cams, barely discernible to most, as he made his way upstairs. She flipped to the external cams, spotting Ying rappelling to the window, and Blitz stacking up by the front door. “Any other hostiles?” Blitz asked, flash shield ready. “I don’t fancy getting shot in the ass on my way upstairs.” Dokkaebi bit back a cackle at that.

“You’re clear Blitz. Ready to breach?”

“Ready.” 

“Ying?”

“Candela primed.”

“Glaz.”

“Clear LOS.”

“Vigil?”

“In position.” Came the whisper, stacked up in the next room to Ramirez. Easy plan. Blitz would breach simultaneous with Ying, then Vigil and Glaz would mop up, grab Ramirez, and exit through the cellar with Dokkaebi, where she’d wipe the cameras and they’d head home, crisis averted.

_Easy._

“Breach in three, two-“

Naturally, it was at this moment when it all went to hell. One of the masks shifted away from Ramirez, just for a moment, exposing his thigh holster, and she saw her opening. Just as Ying’s candela began firing, and Blitz’s breach charge exploded, one of the hostiles fell, two bullets in his back, Ramirez clutching his pistol. 

“Shit!” Ying yelled from the outside, as the last of the candela charges detonated, leaving the room blinded. “Glaz, you got them?”

“Ramirez is running. Third floor corridor, heading towards the east stairwell.”

Dokkaebi saw this unfold and made a snap decision. 

“Ying, Blitz, Vigil, clear the top floor of hostiles. I’ll intercept Ramirez on the bottom floor.”

“Be careful.” Vigil clucked, even as he shifted into the room to take out the remainder of the White Masks. Dokkaebi bit her tongue and said nothing, as she raised her rifle and started moving to intercept Ramirez. 

Ramirez had made it to the bottom floor kitchen, and was scanning it for an exit (none, the Masks had sealed it up tight) when Dokkaebi entered. Her hand flew up, clutching the pistol (one-handed, _honestly_ , it took a lot for Dokkaebi not to roll her eyes there and then) and aiming it at Dokkaebi. “Professor Ramirez?” She said, slowly lowering her rifle. “I’m here to help.”

“You police?” Ramirez asked, her breath shaky, but her aim not wavering. Dokkaebi nodded.

“Special forces. We need to get you out of here ma’am.” She kept her voice slow and steady, like soothing a desperate horse. It seemed to work, and Ramirez sagged with relief (or shock) as Dokkaebi moved in to secure her. “Hostage secured, moving to extract.” She reported, pulling her tight next to her, slinging her rifle over her back, and retrieving her sidearm fluidly. “Dokkaebi, wait-“ Vigil began, before her patience evaporated and she bulled on, tuning him out as she swept through the downstairs with Ramirez.

_Idiot. Making sure I don’t poison Ramirez with my crime of thinking freely for myself. Lapd-_

Her vicious train of thought was cut off at the bottom of the cellar stairs, as she saw lights in the darkness beyond, and shouted voices. She shoved Ramirez into the wall and flipped her tablet into her hands, checking feeds quickly. The upstairs hostiles were proving more difficult to dislodge, even with Glaz’s precision and the blinding power of Blitz and Ying. Four of them were making a valiant last stand, even without their hostage. Vigil, uncloaked, was pinned down in the centre of the room behind a collapsed wardrobe, while Glaz maintained cover fire from outside, and Blitz and Ying kept up a barrage of fire. She tabbed to the sewer cameras. 

Fresh reinforcements. More of the White Masks, through the same entrance Rainbow had thought unguarded. “Shit.” She grimaced, heading back towards the stairs and shoving Ramirez up. “Don’t move.” She snapped, holstering her machine pistol and unslinging her rifle, tucking herself in against the wall. “Incoming hostiles, basement. This was all a trap, they baited us in.” She reported quickly, checking the tablet again. They were preparing to enter through the breach Dokkaebi and Vigil had entered through. She heard the muttered curses in four separate languages from the other members of the team, and slid down against the wall. “I’m engaging.” She whispered into the comm, readying her rifle. 

She heard the heavy footfalls against the brick as they swept the basement, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. _Ready._ Spinning sharply around the corner, she dropped the first two with a double tap before any of them could react. Almost any of them. 

She spun back into cover as a third hostile sprayed bullets from the rear of the basement, dodging most of them but catching one on her upper left arm. _Just a scratch_ , she thought as she hissed sharply. She glanced over at Ramirez, huddled on the stairs with the gun in her hands, her eyes blazing. She forced a smile onto her face. “Stay down, we’re gonna be fine.” She soothed, leaning carefully out to take another hostile out, ducking a spray of brick against her face as another bullet impacted near her. She risked a glance at her tablet. Most of the reinforcements were gathered by the breach point, too scared to push further into the dark cellar. “Dokkaebi?” Came Ying’s voice over the comms.”You clear?”

“Pinned in the basement, five plus hostiles.” 

“Shit. We’re almost clear upstairs, but Blitz is down.”

“It’s just a boo boo, I’m fine-.”

“Stay put, we’re-.”

The rest of Ying’s words were cut off by an explosion that shook the house. Dokkaebi tossed a stun grenade around the corner and sprayed a few bullets after it to keep her safe, then checked her tablet again. The police perimeter out front was in chaos, a fresh SUV of White Masks pulling up and flinging grenades liberally.

“Shit.” She muttered, as it all fell into place. “This wasn’t a hostage situation. They baited us here to massacre us.” Sure enough, ten more White Masks were sprinting up to the house, all ready for war. “Glaz, ten approaching from the south.”

“Copy.” He replied, his rifle cracking in the backround. “Two down. No LOS, moving to better position.” _Eight left._

Dokkaebi quickly calculated and grabbed for her machine pistol, spraying bullets behind her, trying to clear out the cellar and move Ramirez to safety. They’d cleared their vision from the stun grenade though, and a hail of bullets met her as she moved, forcing her to duck back into cover with Ramirez in tow, one of the bullets catching her in her right hip. She grunted, reloading her machine pistol, gritting her teeth despite the pain, tapping her comms. 

“I’m pinned in the basement. Need backup.”

“Move up to the front door.” Ying replied quickly.

“Negative.” Glaz cut in, as his rifle barked. “White Masks just breached the front door. Five left.”

_Five._

“Shit.” Grace growled, as she glanced back at Ramirez. She was caught in the middle of it. She’d exposed herself in her haste to extract Ramirez. She turned to fire round the corner again, trying to thin out the hostiles in the basement, but as she ducked back in, she felt a blinding pain across the side of her head as one of the bullets traced her skull. She cried out, despite herself, and tried to blink away her blurry vision. “I’m hit! Need backup, need backup!” She yelled over the comms, as she swayed on her feet. Someone else shouted over the comms in Korean, but she couldn’t make it out, as she tried to shift herself against the wall, and then something hit her in the side of the head as she fumbled with her rifle. She hit the floor hard, her tablet flying free of her chest harness as she landed on top of it. She rolled onto her back, to see one of the White Masks standing over her, shaking his fist out, before gripping his weapon again. Two other masks floated out of the darkness behind him, like ghosts in the shadows. 

“Bad move, girl.” He leered behind the mask, kicking her hard in the head. Grace grunted, trying to stand, but the pain was overwhelming. She glanced up at Ramirez, huddled on the stairs, her hands clenched around the pistol as she raised it, but as she pulled the trigger it clicked dry. One of the Masks behind her chuckled mirthlessly as they moved towards her, and as Grace slipped into unconsciousness, she glanced at her cracked tablet on the floor, showing the security feed of the front door, as the White Masks fanned out. She thought she saw the briefest flicker, a white shimmer around the edges of the screen, just before one of the hostiles behind her put a bullet through the screen, and then their boot met her head, and she knew no more.

-

The helicopter back to base was quiet, Blitz joking for Ramirez’s benefit, despite the bullet wound in his thigh, while Ying checked Ramirez for any wounds. Grace’s prone form lay beside Vigil. She was stable enough, but she’d need immediate attention once they returned to the base. Doc had already been commed with an update, and was ready with a legion of medics. Glaz sat across from him, scribbling something in a small notebook. He glanced up at Vigil occasionally, then tucked both notebook and pencil into his vest, leaning forward. 

“You did good.” He said, tugging his _chechenka_ from his head and running a gloved hand through his short black hair. With his mask down, and facepaint smeared by sweat, he looked far younger. Vigil sighed internally, and reached back, pulling his facemask off, hands tracing the crack in it just below the nose.

_Somehow, he’d sprinted out of the room, through the hail of withering fire. Ying and Blitz stood by the door, but he’d run past them, vaulting the balcony and landing on the next floor down, right in front of the five White Masks that had made it inside. It was a blur, and he heard Ying above him, firing into the hostiles, but he’d somehow taken out three of them before Ying's two had even hit the ground. He sprinted for the basement, back the way he’d came, firing down at the three at the base of the stairs, standing over Dokkaebi. One of them had got a lucky shot off though, and it had smacked into his facemask._

_If he hadn’t been wearing it, he’d be dead._

“I should’ve been quicker.” He muttered, careful of his words. Nothing that could reflect badly on Grace. Glaz _harrumphed,_ scratching his eye briefly. 

“And I should’ve been more accurate, Ying should’ve been more careful, Blitz could’ve shut his mouth.” He kept his voice low, masking his words from the rest of the team. Vigil found his low voice oddly comforting, a kindred spirit to his own silence. “Focus on your flaws, but if you spend too much time obsessing over them, next time…” Glaz trailed off, leaning back in his seat and pulling his notebook back out. “Next time you do better.” He said simply, flipping the notebook back open. The conversation was clearly over. Vigil breathed deep and glanced over at Grace’s unconscious form. 

_Next time._

He remembered General Kuh’s words as he’d packed his bags for the selection for Rainbow, a prestigious honour for the 707th, but rankled by Grace’s antics getting herself into the top two. 

_Watch her. Report back to us. If she steps out of line, she’s done for. You understand, Chul Kyung? This is an honour for us. Do not let her tarnish our reputation._

He gripped his facemask tighter as the chopper turned for home.

-

“She’ll be fine.” One of the medics reassured him as they bustled around Grace’s bed, checking IVs and scribbling down notes. Echo had already taken the chair by her bed, taking a selfie with her sleeping form and tapping away on a tablet. Grace’s own tablet lay on the table at his side, a bullet cleanly through the screen. 

“Blackmail material.” He grinned at Vigil when he noticed him watching. He flicked his hands at him dismissively. “Go get some sleep. I’ll be here when she wakes.” Vigil set his jaw, but nodded tightly and left the med wing. They’d secured Ramirez with Six, reported in, and briefly met the new recruits from Australia, a diminutive, moustached man, talking at a million miles an hour _(“The name’s Max! Good to meet ya!”)_ , and a terrifyingly built woman _(“Tori. Pleasure.”)_ , but Vigil had excused himself as soon as possible. A mission report was due for Six, and his commanders back home. 

Ying had watched him quietly as they reported in to Six, and quietly suggested that Vigil write it, and Six had just nodded, and smiled that damned knowing smile, before dismissing them. He sat on his bed, watching the empty screen, the cursor flashing at him, daring him. 

He pursed his lips and stood, walking through the accommodation provided to them, down a few doors to one where rock music leaked under the door, and knocked once. The music paused, and Craig opened the door, his face splitting in a broad smile underneath his beard. 

“Chul Kyung! Good to see you. Come on in.” He added, turning back into his room. Vigil entered, quietly shutting the door behind him. Compared to his own spartan room, Blackbeard’s was crammed with keepsakes and photos. Him and Meghan, on some mountainside far away, a picture of an enormous dog, its tongue lolling out of its mouth, a woman, kneeling with three children around her, Craig stood with her at the prow of a yacht, and two older people, dressed smartly, smiling for the camera. Craig was bent over his small fridge, retrieving two beers, and followed Vigil’s eyeline to the photo. “My folks.” He said, by way of explanation, twisting the top off one of the beers and handing it to Vigil. “College professors. Don’t ask me how they raised a SEAL, but they’re happy, bless them. If we’re on leave together next time, come with. They’d love to meet you.”

Vigil took a swallow of beer, turning the offer over in his head. _How could Craig be so open, despite it all? How could all of them?_

He’d seen Montagne, the giant Frenchman, pull Blitz into a tight hug as he limped off the transport, leaning on Glaz for support. Ash had smiled a wry smile at Glaz, and he’d returned it easily enough. Buck had welcomed Ying home easily enough with a fistbump, and Dokkaebi had already made plenty of friends in Rainbow that had set up a rotating watch at her bedside until she woke, with Echo taking the first shift, obviously, but he’d already seen Sledge bent over a tablet with IQ, working on something for Grace’s convalescence.

_Would any of them notice if I disappeared? Faded into the background?_

He thought of Craig’s easy offer to meet his parents, and thought of his own adoptive parents back home. He tried to conjure up any memories of his birth parents, the briefest memories of screams and silence, but couldn’t remember their faces. He took another swallow of beer and said nothing. Craig wasn’t offended, leaning back to tap his music back on, at a slightly lower volume.

“Good to be back, gotta say. Australia’s a nice place, but too damn hot for my liking.” 

“Not a fan of the heat.” Vigil muttered to his beer bottle. Craig nodded though, grinning. 

“Give me a decent cloudy day any day. Meghan’s burnt to a crisp, and she’s mad as hell about it.”

“How can you make the call between right and wrong?” Vigil cut in suddenly, surprising even himself. That wasn’t like him, speaking abruptly, out of turn. Craig was used to it though, understanding his idiosyncrasies. 

“You talking politically, morally, what’s the game here? Politics ain’t much my game, I’ll admit.” Vigil shook his head, glaring down at his beer. 

“Personally. Where do you draw the line?” 

Craig frowned at his beer and took a sip. “There’s a reason we’re here.” He said carefully, turning the bottle in his hands. “And it’s not just cause of our fancy kit, or our special training. Anyone can use that, given time. We do what we do because we have to make calls that we can’t send up the chain in the heat of the moment.”

Vigil thought of Ramirez’s sudden escape, Grace’s quick move to secure her. 

“Lateral thinking. If they wanted everyone dead they’d drop a bomb. If they want it done cleanly, they send Rainbow.” Craig took another swallow and set his beer down on his desk, scratching his shoulder, where Vigil knew the SEAL trident was inked, before he looked back up at Vigil, his eyes sharp. 

“You draw the line wherever you need it to do what’s right. That’s the mission.”

-

Grace woke with a start. The tang of antiseptic and the tinny beeping of the heart monitor greeted her in the hospital room, as everything came rushing back to her.

_Ramirez. The house. The White Masks._

She shifted in her bed, trying to get some feeling back into her body, as the heart monitor beside her started tinnily accelerating. 

“Easy there, lass.” Came the rough voice from her left, and she spun, as she saw Sledge rising out of the chair by the side of her bed. “Easy. Gustave had to sew a ton of stitches into you, he’d have a stroke if you tore ‘em.” 

Grace swallowed, her throat dry, as Sledge took pity on her and poured her some water from the jug beside him. 

“How long?” She choked out.

“Two weeks.” He rumbled, as he handed the cup over. “You’re lucky to be alive. Took a real beating.”

_Two weeks._

The rest of the mission came rushing back to her, her reckless evac of Ramirez, and the standoff in the basement. Her hands found the scar along the side of her head, neatly stitched with Doc’s usual precision. 

“Hell of a war wound.” Sledge chuckled. “Don’t worry, the hair’ll grow back. Only room for one baldy in this unit.” He added, running a hand over his thinning hair as he stood. “Doc wanted to be told as soon as you woke up. You gonna be alright?” He asked, as he stood in the doorway, hand resting on the doorframe. 

“Yes.” Dokkaebi nodded tightly, taking a sip of water, letting the cool liquid soothe her throat. “Thank you, Seamus.” She added, smiling slightly to sell it more. 

“Good to have you back.” He grinned, before leaving, hollering down the hall. She could hear his Scottish tones echoing down the hallway, before she refocused. 

_Two weeks. The after-action report had to have been written up, Vigil was nothing if not punctual._

She needed to get that report, see what damage had been done while she was unconscious. Six wasn’t brutal enough to drum someone out of a unit while they were injured, but Kuh had been snapping at her heels ever since she left Korea, pestering her over her after-action reports and constantly putting forward potential replacements if she so much as put a foot wrong. Unless she acted fast, her time in Rainbow was rapidly shrinking. She plastered a smile back on her face as Doc and a team of medics reentered, checking her vitals and taking notes, chattering around her as they worked. 

“You’ll be right as rain soon enough.” Doc said, as he tapped away on a tablet, while another medic took her bloodwork. “Word of warning, the others are keen to see you. I’ll let them in after you’ve had some food and a chance to rest properly. Echo has been harassing me with emails, so he’ll probably be first through the door.” He added with a wince, briefly stopping to murmur something to the nearest medic, sending them bustling off. “Glad to see you’re alright.” He added, with a warm smile. 

“Thanks to you.” She smiled in response. Gustave’s spirit was infectious. 

“Food’s on its way.” He added, looking at an alert on his tablet and turning to go. “My mother was always an advocate of food being the best medicine, so we’ll see how that holds up.”

“Is Vigil okay?” Grace blurted, unable to keep her mouth shut any longer. She needed to know what he’d done. Doc paused in the doorframe, meeting her gaze, and _something_ flickered across the stoic doctor facade, before it was stowed beneath his professionalism once more. 

“He is fine. He was in my inbox almost as much as Echo was.” He added with a smile as he left the room, leaving Grace with that bombshell. Another medic descended on her to check her reactions, and Grace _almost_ felt bad as she carefully relieved the woman of her own tablet as she shone a penlight into Grace’s eyes, stowing it beneath her covers as the woman smiled and left, before tugging it out and wasting no time bypassing the Rainbow mainframe.

She had to read that report, salvage what she could of this mess before she was drummed out of Rainbow entirely. 

-

A bowl of soup lay half-touched at her elbow, as Grace plowed on. The Rainbow mainframe was complex, but she’d managed to make her way into the encrypted files, looking for the mission reports, but finding nothing matching the Ramirez op. It just wasn’t there. From their last op in Chile, and then to an assessment of the Australian operators who had joined, there was a distinct gap in the files.

Six was meticulously organised, this wasn’t just an error. Something was being kept from her. Frustrated, she tried a new tack, searching for Vigil’s user profile, tabbing through his after action reports, where she found her prize. 

_There._

Two reports, with the same date and timestamp. She checked their metadata. One had been sent to Six, as per, to be read and logged, and another had been sent to the 707th, again, as per usual. All their commanding officers were kept abreast of their operator’s deployments. 

_But why were there two?_

She shook her head. _Focus._ She could focus on the why later, she just needed to see what they said. She opened up the two files and pulled them up, side by side, looking for the smallest difference. 

Nothing, except one paragraph at the end of the report for Six. She zoomed in.

_Six,_

_I understand this is an unorthodox manner of reporting, but please allow me to explain. Due to Blitz’s wound and Glaz’s position outside of the house, Dokkaebi was the only operator capable of retrieving and extracting Ramirez. Ramirez escaping our custody was a fault on my part. As for the reinforcements, we were caught unprepared. Dokkaebi was wounded and Ramirez nearly recaptured due to my failure._

_I understand other operators and CTUs are more specialised in hostage rescue than us, and I believe their input would allow us to redevelop the tactics used in order to better combat a similar incursion in future. Hostage rescues are a naturally one-sided affair, but if we explore more versatility in our tactics, I believe this may provide us with better awareness in the future. Attached are my preliminary thoughts on these new tactics._

_Respectfully,_

_Chul Kyung Hwa_

Dokkaebi frowned.

_A fault on my part. My failure._

Her memories of the op were still sharp, despite her wounds. She’d ignored Vigil’s order, opting to evacuate Ramirez immediately. If anything, the blame lay with her.

She scrolled back up and started reading the report. Was Vigil trying to suck up to Six, prove he wasn’t just a lapdog, or ingratiate himself closer on Kuh’s behalf, proving he was the better soldier?

… _Specialist Dokkaebi intercepted Professor Ramirez as she fled to the ground floor. Myself, and Specialists Ying, Blitz, and Glaz engaged the remaining forces, with Blitz sustaining a gunshot wound to his right thigh. As Dokkaebi attempted to evacuate Professor Ramirez, a new contingent of hostiles approached from both the sewer and main entrance. After a prolonged firefight, I was able to reach Dokkaebi and provide aid, however this was after she had sustained multiple wounds to the hip, arm, and head (see attached injury/casualty report), whilst still keeping Ramirez protected, and engaging in combat with numerous hostiles outnumbering her._

_Having resecured Professor Ramirez and Dokkaebi, we were able to exfiltrate through the front door, myself taking point, with Specialist Ying carrying Dokkaebi, and Specialist Blitz protecting Professor Ramirez, despite his previously mentioned wound. Specialist Glaz rejoined us from his overwatch position (see attached battle map, figure 3) as we exfiltrated._

_For her resilience and her quick thinking, I would recommend Specialist Grace ‘Dokkaebi’ Nam be commended for her bravery in the face of danger, and overwhelming odds, as well as Specialist Elias ‘Blitz’ Kötz for his…._

Grace’s eyes glazed over as she absorbed this information. Vigil was wrong.

Vigil had _lied._

To their _superiors_. To _Six_.

He’d taken the blame for the op going wrong, and had thrown himself at the mercy of Kuh’s wrath. 

All to protect her. 

Scowling, she tabbed out of the mainframe and opened the messenger function. _Time to get some answers._

-

Vigil quietly entered the room. He’d been at the gym with Craig, trying to exorcise his worry for Dokkaebi through weight training, when his phone beeped with her message. 

_[Med_06_11, 15:34pm: My room. Now.]_

He quickly excused himself and left, Craig’s eyes watchful as he peeled out of the gym and tugged on a fresh set of clothes. He crossed the base quickly, ignoring the glances thrown his way by the rest of the operators, confused at seeing the usual placid Vigil near-sprinting through the corridors. 

He let himself into the infirmary, and quietly crept past the nurse’s station, letting himself into Grace’s room at the end of the hall. She sat in her bed, radiating fury, her face lit by the glow of the tablet in her lap.

_And where had she got that?_

Vigil cleared his throat, awkward. “Grace.”

“What do you want from me?” Grace snapped, her eyes flinty. She held up the tablet, open to his two seperate mission reports. “I know.” She said, meeting his gaze with fiery eyes. 

Vigil swallowed hard, and made himself move to the chair beside her bed. He was a soldier. He could face the consequences of his actions down. 

“I…took a different approach with the after-action report.” He began.

“You _lied_.” Grace interrupted. “You could’ve laid me out on a platter for Six and Kuh, had me shipped home and another soldier sent to take my place. A _loyal_ soldier.” She sneered. 

“And that would have not served Rainbow.” Vigil spoke calmly, carefully, a rock in the stream against the raging torrent of Grace’s fury. “Would not have served _you._ I…I envy you.” He admitted, his tone soft, as he watched Grace’s feature crumple from anger to confusion to…something else. “You are a credit to Rainbow, and our country. I do not wish for you to be punished for thinking outside the box.” _I do not wish for you be to taken home for punishment at the hands of outdated generals,_ he thought inwardly, but held his tongue. “You have much to offer Rainbow, and your fellow operators.” _And me._ His lips quirked upward briefly in a smile. “Truth is a matter of perspective. What Kuh doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” He stood, his time clearly up, Grace’s brow furrowed in the same way she looked when she’d found a particularly difficult piece of code, or Mute had outfoxed her in the workshop again. “I apologise if I caused you offence. I only wish to serve alongside you.” He inclined his head to her, and left, not waiting for her to speak up. 

He’d said his piece, drawn his line. _Craig would be proud._

“Chul Kyung!” He stopped in the doorway, turning back to see Grace frowning down at the tablet in her hands, before looking back up at him. 

_“Jega jalmothaesseoyo. Hanbeonman yongseohaejuseyo.”_ She said, the familiar language rolling off her tongue with ease, reminding Vigil of home. He inclined his head slightly, smiling once more.

_“Gwaenchanseumnida.”_ He replied, leaving the hacker in her room. She glanced down at the tablet, and closed out of the screen, before she leant back in bed, a smile playing about her lips. 

Sleep took her almost by surprise.

-

Harry leant back in his chair, removing his glasses and scrubbing at his weary eyes. He’d made his way through Vigil’s after-action report again, after an email from Doc that Dokkaebi was awake and in good health. 

… _She is expected to recover fully. However, I strongly advise pairing her with a senior operator to make sure she does not attempt to push herself beyond her body’s limits to recover. She needs time to recuperate fully before she can rejoin us in the field._

Harry reread the final lines, and pursed his lips. He could read between the lines of Vigil’s report, but, as Six had reminded him before her departure, she’d take a soldier who questioned orders over one who blindly followed them ten times out of ten. He knew Dokkaebi had been the former, but Vigil’s new priorities coming to light was a welcome surprise. He reached for the phone on his desk and tapped in a cell number. They picked up after two rings, answering with a gruff voice.

“Mike.”

“Specialist Baker. Apologies for calling so late. Would you be able to come by my office tomorrow morning? I have a new assignment you may be interested in.”

**Author's Note:**

> “A man’s feet must be planted in his country, but his eyes should survey the world.” 
> 
> -George Santayana
> 
> Apologies for any inaccuracies with the Korean language and naming system; I’m unfamiliar with it, and did my research as best I could. If anyone is able to correct a mistake, please let me know.
> 
> Translations
> 
> “признал.”-“Acknowledged.”
> 
> “Jega jalmothaesseoyo. Hanbeonman yongseohaejuseyo.”-“I made a mistake. Please forgive me.”
> 
> “Gwaenchanseumnida.”-“It is okay.”


End file.
